San Diego State University’s New Learning Glass Studio Uses Mediasite by Sonic Foundry to Make Class Time More Engaging

MADISON, Wis. — July 22, 2015 — San Diego State University is making class time more personable in a unique new learning studio with help from Mediasite by Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted global leader for video creation and management solutions.

The Learning Glass Studio, created by physics professor Matt Anderson, allows faculty to teach complex science problems on a see-through glass whiteboard.

“You just walk into the studio and give your normal whiteboard lecture, except now it’s on glass and you’re facing the students,” Anderson said.

More than 500 students take turns filling the 20-seat studio, while their peers watch live online via Mediasite. Whether students are in the studio or watching online, they see the lecture notes flipped on the whiteboard in front of their professor.

“Mediasite allows us to deliver high-quality, high-definition video to our students,” Anderson said. “My students felt more connected to me while watching a lecture in the studio versus being face-to-face in the 500-person class, even though most of them are sitting at home watching online via Mediasite.”

Giving lectures in front of a live studio audience keeps it interactive and spontaneous, and student feedback so far has been very positive. As a learning resource, they report that Mediasite videos are by far the best they’ve seen, and they’re demanding more.

“Students are the number one benefactors. They’re able to review the content via Mediasite in our Blackboard learning management system whenever they need to, especially before large tests or quizzes, and it gives them a chance to go back and review content that they may or may not have understood the first time. We also feel that students who may not have English as their primary language are then able to review the content much easier by using Mediasite,” said Rich Bakken, coordinator of media production and special events at Instructional Technology Services, San Diego State University.

The university has used Mediasite since 2010 to capture what’s happening in lecture halls, classrooms and special events on campus and plans to add additional Mediasite Recorders to its largest lecture spaces this summer. During the 2014-15 school year alone, faculty created about 500 presentations that received more than 45,400 views.

“Mediasite is extremely robust and reliable and very easy for faculty to use,” said Dr. James Frazee, director, Instructional Technology Services. “We can pre-schedule the recording so faculty can just walk in and start teaching. They don’t have to worry about what button to push or what knob to turn. The convenience for the faculty is huge. The beauty of Mediasite is the ease of use and the integration with the other tools on campus, like Blackboard.”

The university won a Sonic Foundry Enterprise Video Award in April at the Mediasite User Conference, Unleash. Watch the award-winning video here.

“Integrating video into teaching delivers better results. When lectures are available online, students can learn at their own pace and go back and review,” said Gary Weis, Sonic Foundry CEO. “San Diego State University has proven that Mediasite lecture capture improves the learning experience, as students cite Mediasite as a personable, interactive way to learn. It’s an honor to partner with San Diego State for its new Learning Glass Studio and its continued enterprise video strategy.”

About San Diego State University
San Diego State University is the oldest and largest higher education institution in the San Diego region. Since its founding in 1897, the university has grown to become a leading public research university. Each year, SDSU provides more than 35,000 students with the opportunity to participate in an academic curriculum distinguished by direct contact with faculty and an increasing international emphasis that prepares them for a global future.